Nigeria: Controversy over trial of HIV/AIDS drug
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There is great concern over the safety and standard of care be-
ing provided to Nigerians participating in an HIV drug (Tenofo-
voir) being considered in clinical trials as prophylaxis against
the virus in the country.
Major among those who have registered their concerns over the
procedures are the Nigerian HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy
Group, Treatment Action Movement, and the media. The concerns
are threefold; how were the participants prepared before the
commencement of the trial?; what are the medical insurance and
referral facilities put in place for participants who may get
infected during the study?; and what were the ethical procedures
for their selection among other issues?
The Nigerian trial is the brainchild of a non-governmental or-
ganization Family Health International (FHI), and it is being
coordinated at the College of Medicine University of Ibadan,
Ibadan.
FHI has dismissed allegations of shoddiness over its trial proc-
esses. In an electronic mail posted on the Nigerian-aid e-forum,
a site solely managed by an NGO, Journalists Against AIDS, it
claimed that the study was designed in accordance with rigorous
international ethical standards.
Get full details of this report from:
http://www.datelinehealth-africa.net/betav1.0/news/detailnews.asp?news_id=11066
To appraise the various viewpoints in the debate over the con-
troversy, visit the Nigeria-aids e-forum archive:
http://www.nigeria-aids.org/MsgArchives.cfm?xMonth=9&xYear=2004
A. Odutola
mailto:chpss_abo2@yahoo.com
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